The man suspected of shooting a young boy in Burnsville last week was his father, police confirmed on Wednesday.

8-year-old Amir Harden’s father turned the gun on himself after allegedly shooting his son, police said.

Amir died a few days later, and at the time of this publishing his father remained in critical condition.

Amir’s mother Cherish Edwards, speaking with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on Wednesday, said her son carried a larger than life personality in his 8-year-old body.

“He was funny, he was real funny,” Edwards said. “He was a leader, he was really protective of his siblings. Real athletic, real energetic.”

“He was a special kid,” added Edwards’ father and Amir’s grandfather, Deon Edwards.

Deon and Cherish held each other close as they spoke.

“We always knew he was gonna be on TV one day well, we never thought it was gonna be like this,” Edwards added through tears.

Amir will be forever remembered as a martyr, his mother and grandfather said.

Police are still investigating what led up to the shooting, but they do not believe Amir was meant to be the target. Cherish Edwards says she was.

“The guilt I feel. That bullet was for me and not my child,” Edwards said, as she began to tell her account of the tragic night.

“He tried to wrestle the gun out of his dad’s hand,” she shared, referring to Amir. “I told him to leave. I said, ‘Amir, go, run. Run to the neighbor’s, go outside.’ And he said, ‘No, Mommy, I’m not leaving you here.'”

Then, “his dad turned around and shot at me and missed, and hit my son in the head,” Edwards continued.

Shortly after, Amir’s dad turned the gun to his own head, she said. The scene unfolded in front of Amir’s four siblings, the oldest is 11 years old.

“My daughter said, ‘Daddy, no.’ He did it anyway.”

Edwards created a gofundme, asking for community support to help with memorial expenses and to move her and her kids out of their townhome. The family has not returned to their home since last Wednesday when Amir was fatally shot there.

“I don’t want him to be forgotten,” she added. “He was only eight, and he had so much potential. He was gonna be somebody. Now, I’ll never know.”

She also had a message for other women and mothers living in situations involving domestic violence: “With his father, we didn’t fight all the time. I didn’t get hit all the time but you just never know how unstable a person is.”

“I know a lot of women try to see the good, especially when you have children with that person. Or, you think you’re alone or you don’t have help, and you can’t leave, you feel stuck. You know? I didn’t want my family to be the example of what can happen. But unfortunately, we are.”

The alleged shooter’s name has not officially been released as of this report, because he remains in critical condition and has not been arrested, police said.

If he survives, criminal charges will be considered, a city spokesperson said earlier in the week.